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Dr. Somrita Ray

Assistant Professor

Chemical Sciences

somrita@iiserbpr.ac.in

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Academic Background

  • Ph.D in Chemistry, Visva-Bharati University (2015).

  • M.Sc in Chemistry, University of Calcutta (2010).

  • B.Sc in Chemistry (Hons), Presidency College, Kolkata (2008).

Professional Experience 

  • Elizabeth Gardner Fellow at the School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, UK (2022-2024).

  • DST-INSPIRE Faculty at the Department of Chemistry, IIT Tirupati, India (2021-2022).

  • Sackler Postdoctoral Fellow at School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University, Israel (2018-2020).

  • Postdoctoral Guest Scientist at Division Biological Physics, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPIPKS), Dresden, Germany (2016-2018).

Awards and Memberships

  • Awarded Elizabeth Gardner Fellowship by the School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, UK in 2022 (for a 4-year independent research position).

  • Received INSPIRE Faculty Award in Chemical Sciences by DST, India in 2020.

  • Received Outstanding Reviewer Award for J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. in 2019 by the Institute of Physics (IOP), London, UK.

  • Awarded Sackler Postdoctoral Fellowship by the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Computational Molecular and Materials Science, Israel in 2018.

  • Qualified NET Examination in Chemical Sciences and awarded Doctoral Research Fellowship by CSIR, India (2010-2015).

  • Secured 2nd rank in M. Sc. Examination (Chemistry), University of Calcutta, India in 2010.

  • Awarded Scholarship for Short-Term Visit to MPIPKS, Germany in 2022.

Research Interests

  • Thermal fluctuations in biophysical and biochemical systems far from equilibrium

  • Theory and applications of stochastic resetting

  • Stochastic thermodynamics and thermodynamic uncertainty

  • Classical and quantum Brownian motion

  • Physics of macro-molecules and self-assemblies

Research Group

  • Mr. Sayan Karmakar (PhD Scholar)

About me

My research expertise lies in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics; in this field, we utilise the framework of statistics and the concepts of physics to provide minimal theoretical models that explain the dynamics of various stochastic (random) processes. The two major areas of application are chemical and biological systems, which make our work multidisciplinary in the truest sense

Fluctuations are inevitable in all sorts of physical systems, irrespective of whether it is macroscopic or microscopic in nature. Usually, the environmental fluctuations appear as noise, and they particularly affect the dynamics of small-scale systems where such influences can not be neglected as infinitesimal perturbations. A cellular system usually operates out of equilibrium with high fluctuations, yet biophysical processes find a cost-effective way towards completion with high accuracy. Our group aims to explore the dynamics and thermodynamics of such processes at the single molecule level. 

Biography

Dr. Ray obtained her Ph.D. from Visva-Bharati University in 2015. She then received her postdoctoral training, first from the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Germany, and then from Tel Aviv University, Israel. Later, she joined IIT Tirupati as a DST-INSPIRE Faculty. Prior to joining IISER Berhampur, she was working as an inaugural Elizabeth Gardner Fellow at the School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, UK.

Contact Details

Full Name

Somrita Ray


Email

somrita@iiserbpr.ac.in